Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan was attacked at a Detroit
ice rink following a practice session two days before the
Olympic trials. A man hit Kerrigan with a club on the back
of her knee, causing the figure skater to cry out in pain and bewilderment. When the full story emerged a week later,
the nation became caught up in a real-life soap opera.

One of Kerrigan’s chief rivals for a place on the U.S. Figure
Skating Team was Tonya Harding. In mid-December 1993,
Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, approached Shawn
Eckardt about somehow eliminating Kerrigan from the
competition. Eckardt set up a meeting with Derrick Smith
and Shane Stant, who agreed to injure Kerrigan for a fee.

Tonya Harding (left) says she was scared for her own       
safety after the infamous 1994 baton attack on her fellow
fellow Olympic figure skater and longtime competitor
Nancy Kerrigan (right).  

        
        

Tonya Maxene Price (54) was born
in Portland, Oregon.

On January 5, 1920, the New York Yankees major league baseball
club announced its purchase of the heavy-hitting outfielder
George Herman “Babe” Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for the
sum of $125,000.

Ruth had played six seasons with the Red Sox, leading them to
three World Series victories. On the mound, Ruth pitched a total
of 29 2/3 scoreless World Series innings, setting a new league
record that would stand for 43 years.

George Herman "Babe" Ruth
(February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948)

  
CAMILLE
BOHANNON

Hiram King "Hank" Williams
(September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953)

Williams was a singer-songwriter, regarded as one of the
most significant and influential American singers and
songwriters of the 20th century. Williams recorded 55
singles that reached  the top 10 of the Billboard Country
& Western Best Sellers chart, five of which were released
posthumously, and 12 of which reached No.1.               

The ball was dropped for the first time in Times Square
on New Years Eve at midnight on January 1, 1907.

A New Year’s Eve ball has dropped in Times Square for
over 100 years, starting in 1907, with the exception of
1942 and 1943 when nightly “dimouts” occurred during
World War II to protect the city from attacks.

The crowd waiting for the New Year’s tradition to begin.

Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball displayed at One Times Square, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York.

N8082U, the United Airlines DC-8-61 involved, pictured in
1972 sporting a previous identifying design. Photo taken
at Seattle / Tacoma – Int. (SEA). 

       
        
       
Originating at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, United
Airlines Flight 173 stopped in Denver, and continued to
Portland on Thursday, December 28, 1978.

The pilot reported a problem with the plane’s nose landing
gear to the Portland tower, and, according to the National
Transportation Safety Board report, failed to monitor properly
the aircraft’s fuel state and to properly respond to the low
fuel state. The Board blamed pilot error for the crash

After circling Portland International Airport the DC-8 ran out
of fuel and crashed into two vacant houses and a grove of
trees at East Burnside Street, five miles southeast of the
airport and about 200 feet east of 157th Avenue  at around
6:15 P.M.

The jetliner, reportedly was carrying 172 adult passengers,
five infants and eight crew members.

     
    
    
Capt. Malburn "Buddy" McBroom (52), a World War II Navy
veteran and longtime United pilot, recovers in a Gresham,
Oregon hospital.  (KATU)        

United Flight 173 survivor Lynn Egli, right, stands with
KATU’s Steve Dunn at the memorial for the passengers
aboard United Flight 173 that killed 10 people. (KATU)